Charger for a gun



Sept. 17, 1963 R. A. R-OSENBLUM ETAL 3,103,851

CHARGER FOR A GUN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 13, 1961 m 1 I n .50

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N 3 U Q a mm H famddz United States Patent 3,103,351 CHARGER FOR A GUN Robert A. Rosenblum, Skokie, and Edwin W. Johnson, Mount Prospect, Ill., assignors, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Apr. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 102,900 5 (Ilaims. (Cl. 89-4) The present invention relates to an automatic gun and more particularly to a charger for an automatic gun the function of which is to provide an auxiliarymeans to rotate the drum carrying the guncartridges.

Automatic guns of the type to which the present invention is directed are known as an automatic revolver type and have, as a distinguishing feature, a revolving drum containing a plurality of ammunition round-receiving chambers. The chambers are disposed parallel to the drum axis of rotation and are progressively rammed in several stages to a final indexing position in alignment with the gun barrel for firing. Recoil energy incident to firing is utilized normally to rotate; the drum to bring the next round into barrel alignment. In the event of misfire of a round, no recoil energy would be provided andthe gun would stop firing. Therefore, the gun is furnished with a charger, the function of which is to provide auxiliary operation which will effect rotation of the drum and enable the next round to be indexed for firing at will by the gun operator.

Automatic gun chargers of the type to which the present invention is directed utilize pressure of gases discharged from blank cartridges to effect movement of a piston for operating the gun actuator to rotate the drum. As a practical matter, such chargers are designed to accommodate a plurality of blank cartridges which are fired individually at the will of the gun operator. Inasmuch as the discharged gases from these cartridges are directed to a common chamber for transmission to the actuating piston, it becomes necessary to guard against discharge of the other live blank cartridges as a result of firing any oue bl-ank cartridge. Although prior art arrangements have been provided for this purpose, such arr-angements are found to be objectionable because of being too complex or because they are susceptible to malfunction as the result of structural difficulties, or otherwise.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement for preventing discharge of other live ammunition as the result of firing a single blank cartridge in a charger accommodating a plurality o cartridges.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple, eifective, and more reliable check valve for a gun charger which will prevent discharge of more than one cartridge at a time. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a check valve *for a charger which functions independently of the type of primer employed to fire the blank cartridges used therein.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved charger Which utilizes electrically fired primers to'discharge the percussion primers in the blank cartridges.

Still further it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement for physically actuating a firing pinto discharge the percussion primers in the blank cartridges.

V trically operated firearms.

Also it is an object of the present invention to provide "ice an improved charger for automatic guns which is relatively simple in construction, and efiicient in operation.

In accordance with the present invention, the charger is provided with a reciprocating member which is operative in response to pressure of gases as the result of discharge of separate ones of a plurality of blank cartridges. The blank cartridges are disposed in chambers which are operatively connected with the chamber housing the reciprocating member. Each one of the chambers is provided with a check valve which normally closes that chamber against pressure of gases resulting from firing cartridges in other chambers. Two embodiments or systems :for firing blank cartridges are provided. In the one embodiment, electrically fired primers are utilized to discharge the primers in the blank cartridges. In the second embodiment, a solenoid operated cam is utilized to physicallyactuate firing pins into contact with their respective percussion primers of the blank cartridges.

The novel features of the present invention, as well as additional features and advantages thereof, will be understood better from the following detailed description of three preferred embodiments of the present invention, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a central longitudinal section of a per- 7 FIGURE 2 is a central longitudinal section of a per- I cussion charger comprising a second embodiment of the present invention, utilizing percussion primers;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the check valve member utilized in those embodiments of the present inven tion shown in FIGURES 1 and 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a central longitudinal section of a percussion charger comprising a third embodiment of the present invention, unrelated portions thereof being cut away for simplification.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein similar reference numerals have been used to designate corresponding parts throughout, the present invention is shown in the form of three embodiments each of which is based upon the principal of a stationary multiple blank cartridge drum and check valve means for each of the cartridge receiving chambers.

, Accordingly, the first embodiment, which is shown in FIGURE 1, comprises a casing 1 adapted for attachment to the actuator (not shown) of a gun. The casing comprises a cylindrical member having a cartridge-receiving main body portion 3, a chamber portion 5, and a cover 7. The main body portion isprovided with a plurality of blank cartridge-receiving chambers 9 which are symmetrically distributed about the axis of the casing. The chamber portion 5 of the case is integrallyv attached to the main body portion at the end 11 thereof remote from the location of the base or primer receiving ends of the cartridges 13. Each of the cartridge-receiving chambers 9 are of such extent that they open into an adjacent common chamber 15 so that the expanding gases incident to firing the cartridges can transmit their force to thereciprocating member 17 of the charger.

A one-way check valve is provided which comprises a disk '19 having a plurality of resilient members 21 out out in a manner to function as flap walves. The resilient fia-p valves 21 are of a number to correspond with the number of cartridge-receiving chambers 9 and are of a size greater than the chamber openings 22 to prevent the flap valves from being. forced into the cartridge-receiving chambers. The disk 19 is rnounted within the chamber 15 in abutment with the end Wall23 between the cartridge-receiving portion 3 and the chamber portion 5. A cylindrical retainer 25 is provided for holding the flap valve disk in position. The retainer has an axial externally threaded extension 27 which fits within a mating threaded opening 29 provided in the end wall 23 of the main body portion. The disk is thereby securely held between the retainer and the end wall 23. The retainer is provided with a plurality of openings 31 cor-responding in number and oriented similar to the chambers 9 except that the retainer openings are located closer to the axis than are the cartridge chambers 9. The face of the retainer adjacent to the'disk 19 is cut away at areas corresponding to the location of the resilient flap valves 21 so that the fiap valves are free to be moved outwardly away from the cartridge chambers. The retainer cutaway portions provide a passageway between the cartridge chambers 9 and the retainer openings 31 and the sloping wall 33 defining the cutaway portions serves to limit movement of the fiap valves. For the purpose of maintaining the cartridge-receiving chambers 9, the flap valves 21, and the retainer openings 31 in alignment, Ia dowel pin 35 is provided which fits within mating apertures 37 in those members. The dowel pin has an axial bore 36 which serves to gradually exhaust and relieve the pressure in the reciprocating member chamber incident to return of that member to a normal position.

The charger of the present invention is adapted for utilizing either electrically primed or percussion type, blank cartridges. In the case of electrically primed cartridges, there is shown in FIGURE 1 an embodiment of the present invention provided with a suitable means for firing the cartridges separately. The firing means 39 is contained in the cover 7 of the charger which is disposed threadedly engaged with the main body end 40. This firing means comprises an electrical contact plate assembly 4-1 consisting of a plurality of electrical contact pins or members 43, an intermediate plate 44, and a primer plate 58 The contact pins are equal in number to the cartridges provided in the chambers of the main body portion and extend through the plate assembly with their extremities 45 terminating on the outer face 4-7 in a position to contact a like number of electric primers 49 mounted in a plate and disposed behind the cartridges 13 and the primer plate St). The opposite ends 53 of the contact pins are adapted to receive sepauate electrical connections 51 from a stepping switch (not shown). The primer plate 50 is threadedly engaged with the intermediate plate &4, as shown at 54 in FIGURE 1, and alignment of the contacts 43 with the primers 49 is maintained by a dowel pin 56 which extends through openings in the plate members. Thus, by means :of the stepping switch, the electric primers are fired at will one at a time. Expanding gases incident to firing the primers will impinge upon the percussion primers of the cartridges 13 and discharge each cartridge in turn. The cartridge gases are forced through the oneway check valve pushing the resilient members 21 outwardly in the manner indicated by valve 21. The cartridge expanding gases enter the chamber 15 and push the piston 17 in a direction to cycle the weapon. Incident to return of the piston, pressure relief of the gases in the chamber is gradually accomplished through the axial bore 36 of the dowel pin 35 which communicates with the exterior of the chamber 5.

An alternate charger embodiment based on the above principles is shown in FIGURE 2. In this embodiment, the cartridge-receiving main body portion, and the chamber .portion are the same structure as that shown in the embodiment represented by FIGURE 1. The cover portion 7 which houses the firing means is of larger structure than that of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1 in order to accommodate an electromechanical firing means instead of the electrically fired percussion means of the first embodiment. The electromechanical firing means comprises a percussion arrangement in which a solenoid 55 is operated to move a cam plate 57 through a given distance and cam a firing pin 59 into engagement with the percussion primer of the cartridge. The solenoid may be of any conventional type which will impart rotary motion to the cam plate. The solenoid 55 is provided with a disk 61 mounted on the end of the solenoid armature shaft 63, the purpose of which is to impart rotation to the camplate 57. The cam plate comprises upper and lower sections 65, 67 of difierent diameters. The upper larger diameter section 65 is dimensioned to receive the solenoid disk 61. The solenoid disk is splined to fit within corresponding grooves 69 provided in the internal wall of the upper section. With this arrangement the disk is free to move axially at the same time it imparts rotation to the cam plate 57. The lower face 79 of the larger diameter section 65 is provided with an inclined plane cam portion 72 circumferential-1y disposed to engage the firing pins 59 in turn as the larger diameter section is rotated by the solenoid. The lower section 67 of the cam plate is hollow and disposed within an axial bore 71 of the cartridgereeeivin-g body portion 3. A coil spring 73 is located within the cam plate hollow interior of the lower portion and is disposed under compression between the partially closed end wall 75 of the lower portion 67 and the solenoid disk The purpose of this coil spring is to exert a downward force at the lower end of the cam plate 57 in order to insure actuation of the primer pins 59.

In accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention which is shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawings, the structural arrangement is similar to that shown and described with respect to the two first mentioned embodiments. The cylindrical retainer 77 is provided with a plurality of stepped bores 79 corresponding in number and oriented for communication with the blank cartridgereceiving chambers 9. The larger diameter of the bore is disposed adjacent to and communicating with the carfridge-receiving chambers and the smaller diameter of the bore is disposed in communication with the piston chamber 5. Slidably mounted within each stepped bore is a hollow cylindrical sleeve valve 81 having one end 83 thereof open and the opposite end 35 thereof closed. The open end of the valve has an annular external shoulder 87 of a diameter substantially equal to the larger diameter of the retainer stepped bores 79. The remainder of the sleeve valve including the closed end is of a diameter substantially equal to that of the smaller diameter of the retainer stepped bores. Adjacent to the closed end 85 of the sleeve valve, there is provided at least one opening 89 which serves to transmit the expanding gases incident to discharge of the respective blank cartridges to the chamber 15 housing the reciprocating member 17. Thus, as each blank cartridge is fired, the expanding gases will force the sleeve valve outwardly from the retainer 77 to expose the sleeve valve openings 89. Travel of the valve will be restricted by the valve shoulder 87 engaging the smaller diameter of the retainer stepped bores 79. Return of the sleeve valves to their normal withdrawn position is accomplished by the reciprocating member as a result of its return stroke. With this arrangement, the sleeve valve openings 89 are normally disposed in a closed position within the retainer thereby preventing the respective blank cartridges from being discharged incident to discharge of any one of the other blank cartridges.

=In-any one of the embodiments described above, the oneway check valve will be found to operate in response to discharge of the blank cartridges 13. The check valve resilient members 21 or the sleeve valve members 81 are forced outwardly by the expanding gases individually toward the retainer openings 31, 79. Simultaneously therewith the remaining resilient members are caused to bear against the inner face 23 of the cartridge-receiving portion 3 or the sleeve valve members are maintained within their respective retainer openings 79 thereby to prevent discharge of the other live cartridges. Once all the blank cartridges are expended, replacement thereof with live cartridges is accomplished easily by removing the cover portion which is threadedly engaged with the main body portion to expose the cartridge-receiving chambers 9.

Although but three embodiments of the present inven- :2 tion have been shown and describedQit is apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments thereof are feasible without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. .Therefore, it is desired that the particular forms of the invention presented herein be considered as illustrative and not as limiting.

What is claimed is:

1. In a gun having a cartridge carrying member and an actuator for rotating the carrying member to index the cartridges therein, said actuator being reciprocable in response to recoil incident to operation of the gun, a charger to provide auxiliary means for operating the actuator comprising pressure responsive reciprocating means operatively connected with the actuator, a housing provided with a plurality of blank cartridge-receiving chambers, a compartment in said housing, said reciprocating means being disposed in said compartment and moveable in response to pressure of gases as a result of firing said blank cartridges, said chambers respectively opening into said compartment for transmitting gas pressure thereto, valve means comprising a plurality of resilient flap valves disposed in association with said cartridge remiving chambers at the forward end thereof, each said flap valve being individually moveable to an open position in response to discharge of the blank cartridge disposed in the chamber associated therewith, the remainder of said flap valves being simultaneously rnoveable to a sealed position with their respective cartridge chambers as a result of individual discharge of each said blank cartridge, and means in said housing for selectively firing individual ones of said blank cartridges.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said chambers terminate on a common wall of said housing which defines said compartment, said valve means comprising a plate member disposed in abutment with said common wall and having portions thereof cut away to provide said resilient flap valves, said flap valves being disposed coincident with and at least coextensive with the said chamber openings in said common wall.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said selective firing means comprises a plurality of electric primer receiving chambers in said housing disposed coincident with the end of said blank cartridge-receiving chambers opposite said compartment, and electrical means in said housing for selectively firing primers disposed in said chambers.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said said firing means comprises a plurality of firing pins in said housing disposed coincident with the end of said blank cartridge-receiving chambers opposite said compartment, cam means rotatably mounted in said housing and disposed for engagement with one firing pin at a time in a manner to force said firing pin into engagement with the cartridge associated therewith and means in said housing .for rotating said cam means thereby to index said cam means with selected ones of said firing pins.

5. In a gun having a cartridge carrying member and an actuator for rotating the carrying member to index the cartridges therein with the gun chamber, said actuator being reciprocable in response to recoil incident to opera tion of the gun, :a charger to provide auxiliary means for operating the actuator comprising, in combination, a housing providing a plurality of chambers for receiving percussion type primer blank cartridges, pressure responsive reciprocating means disposed within said housing and being operatively connected with the actuator, valve means comprising a plurality of piston valves disposed in association with said cartridge receiving chambers at the forward end thereof, each said piston valve being individual-ly moveable to anopen position in response to pressure of gases impinging thereon as a result of discharge of the blank cartridge disposed in the chamber associated therewith, the remainder of said piston valves being simultaneously moveable to a sealed position with their respective cartridge chambers in response to pressure or gases impinging thereon as a result of discharge of each said blank cartridge, and means in said housing for selectively firing individual ones of said blank cartridges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bornheirn et la]. Apr. 21, 1959 

1. IN A GUN HAVING A CARTRIDGE CARRYING MEMBER AND AN ACTUATOR FOR ROTATING THE CARRYING MEMBER TO INDEX THE CARTRIDGES THEREIN, SAID ACTUATOR BEING RECIPROCABLE IN RESPONSE TO RECOIL INCIDENT TO OPERATION OF THE GUN, A CHARGER TO PROVIDE AUXILIARY MEANS FOR OPERATING THE ACTUATOR COMPRISING PRESSURE RESPONSIVE RECIPROCATING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH THE ACTUATOR, A HOUSING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF BLANK CARTRIDGE-RECEIVING CHAMBERS, A COMPARTMENT IN SAID HOUSING, SAID RECIPROCATING MEANS BEING DISPOSED IN SAID COMPARTMENT AND MOVEABLE IN RESPONSE TO PRESSURE OF GASES AS A RESULT OF FIRING SAID BLANK CARTRIDGES, SAID CHAMBERS RESPECTIVELY OPENING INTO SAID COMPARTMENT FOR TRANSMITTING GAS PRESSURE THERETO, VALVE MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT FLAP VALVES DISPOSED IN ASSOCIATION WITH SAID CARTRIDGE RECEIVING CHAMBERS AT THE FORWARD END THEREOF, EACH SAID FLAP VALVE BEING INDIVIDUALLY MOVEABLE TO AN OPEN POSITION IN RESPONSE TO DISCHARGE OF THE BLANK CARTRIDGE DISPOSED IN THE CHAMBER ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, THE REMAINDER OF SAID FLAP VALVES BEING SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVEABLE TO A SEALED POSITION WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE CARTRIDGE CHAMBERS AS A RESULT OF INDIVIDUAL DISCHARGE OF EACH SAID BLANK CARTRIDGE, AND MEANS IN SAID HOUSING FOR SELECTIVELY FIRING INDIVIDUAL ONES OF SAID BLANK CARTRIDGES. 